C-USA Volleyball All-Academic Team Announced

IRVING, Texas - Four seniors, five juniors and two sophomores highlight the 2013 Conference USA All-Academic Volleyball Team, as selected by the league's Sports Information Directors. The all-academic team consists of student-athletes who have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and are a starter or key reserve on their team.

Southern Miss was one of four teams who had a pair of honorees as junior Kristen Fleming and sophomore Mary Pursell earned their first C-USA All-Academic honor.

Fleming (Columbus, Ga.) is a two-time Conference USA Academic Medalist and C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll selection. The junior has earned a 3.735 GPA in speech pathology and audiology while leading the team and ranking third in the conference in assists per set, averaging 11.19.

Pursell (Kenner, La.) ranks fourth in C-USA with 5.15 digs per set and has had 22 matches with double digit digs, including 13 with 20 or more. The sophomore has a 3.893 GPA as a marketing major. Pursell earned the Conference USA Academic Medal and Commissioner's Honor Roll accolades last season.

The 2013 Conference USA Volleyball Championship is set to start Thursday, Nov. 21 inside Alumni Memorial Gym in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The four-day event highlights the league's top 12 finishers in regular season play. First-round and quarterfinal action features four matches each day, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3 and 5 p.m. Central. The winner of the Nov. 24 championship match will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The title match takes place at 1 p.m. CT and will be carried live on CBS Sports Network.